Posts for December 13, 2016
These are the posts
that are accumulated in our newsletter which goes out every 4-6 days during the
school year. The posts are organized by the major units in our Con Law (5th
ed.) student textbook.
I. Introduction to Law, the
Constitution, and the Supreme Court [See TOPICS 1-10 in the 5th
edition of Constitutional Law]
Here are some recent articles that are relevant to this unit:
II. Defining the Political
System: Federalism and Checks and Balances [See TOPICS 11-15
in the 5th edition of Constitutional
Law] Here are recent articles that are relevant to this unit:
Trump choice for secretary of education calls for 'local
control' of schools [EdSource, 12/12/16]: Using terminology entrenched
in California’s school reform vernacular, Betsy DeVos called for “local
control” of schools in her most extensive public comments since President-elect
Donald Trump selected her to be his secretary of education three weeks ago.
The
American Presidency [TOPIC 15]
Trump battles for legitimacy [Politico,
12/12/16]: A leaked CIA report backs the president-elect into a corner as
Democrats pounce.
GOP leaders shield Trump from expanded Russia probe [Politico,
12/12/16]: Despite calls for expanded investigations, Republicans are content
with their existing oversight of alleged Russian misdeeds.
Exxon Mobil’s Tillerson Gets Secretary of State Nod [CNS, 12/13/16]: President-elect Donald Trump on
Tuesday selected Rex Tillerson as secretary of state. The CEO of Exxon Mobil,
Tillerson is a career oil executive with close ties to the Russian government.
III. The Political System: Voting and Campaigns
[See TOPICS 16-20 in the 5th edition of Constitutional Law] Here are some recent articles that are
relevant to this unit:
Electors demand intelligence briefing before Electoral
College vote [Politico, 12/12/16]: In its first show of public support for
efforts questioning the legitimacy of Donald Trump's victory, Hillary Clinton’s
campaign said it is supporting a request by members of the Electoral College
for an intelligence briefing on foreign intervention in the presidential
election.
Fewer Women In New California Legislature, But More Win
Local Office [CPR, 12/12/16]: Last month’s election saw the number of women
serving in the California Legislature fall, down to less than a quarter. At the
same time women gained ground in city and county offices around the state.
IV. Criminal Law and Procedure (4th, 5th,
6th, and 8th amendments) [See TOPICS 21-28 in
the 5th edition of Constitutional Law] Here are some
recent articles that are relevant to this unit
Restorative justice? Teachers say McLane High classrooms
are spiraling out of control [Fresno Bee, 12/10/16]: As Fresno Unified
officials were praising McLane High School’s restorative justice program at a
California School Boards Association conference earlier this month, teachers at
the school were circulating a petition that says those same strategies have led
to an unsafe campus plagued with fights and disruptions.
Does the death penalty serve a purpose? Supreme Court hasn't
decided either
[USA Today / Reuters / Huff Post, 12/12/16]: Death came knocking at the
Supreme Court's door twice last week, as it has done most weeks since the
justices took the bench in early October. When William Sallie asked for a stay
of execution Tuesday because of alleged juror bias, the justices refused,
apparently without dissent. Sallie, 50, became the ninth man put to death in
Georgia this year, a 40-year high.
V. 1st Amendment
(Speech, Religion, Press and Assembly)
[See TOPICS 29-33 in the 5th edition of Constitutional Law] Here are some recent articles that
are relevant to this unit:
Standing Rock Victory
May Be Short-Lived as Trump Presidency Looms
[CNS, 12/12/16]: Standing Rock Tribe supporters celebrated the Dec. 4 news that
the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers denied an oil company’s permit to run a
pipeline below their water source. But events that have followed show the
elation could be short-lived.
California’s child vaccination law faces another legal
challenge [EB Times, 12/12/16]: Opponents of a new California state
law requiring nearly all schoolchildren to be fully vaccinated have mounted
another legal challenge — this time, setting the science of immunization aside
and focusing on constitutional rights.
The Pervert Who Changed
America: How Larry Flynt Fought the Law and Won [Vice.com, 12/12/16]: Flynt developed a bull-headed insistence upon
contesting every single lawsuit and obscenity charge that came his way,
transforming him into an unlikely canary in the coal mine of First Amendment
law.
VI. 14th
Amendment, Discrimination, Privacy, Working, Citizenship & Immigration [See TOPICS 34-41 in the 5th edition of Constitutional Law] Here are some recent articles that are relevant to
this unit:
Feds resolved nearly 100 civil rights complaints in
California schools in 2016 [EdSource, 12/12/16]: The U.S. Department
of Education’s Office for Civil Rights said it resolved nearly 100 allegations
of civil rights violations – most of them alleging gender-based or
disability-based discrimination – in California schools and colleges in fiscal
2016, as some conservatives signaled that aggressive civil rights enforcement
under the Obama administration would be curtailed under President-elect Donald
Trump.
International Law, Citizenship
and Immigration [TOPIC 40-42]
Cherokee Attorney General
rules gay marriage bans unconstitutional [AP / Reuters, 12/12/16]: The Cherokee Nation's attorney general legalized gay
marriage for the country's second-largest Native American tribe, saying its
same-sex marriage ban violates a tribal requirement for all of its citizens to
be treated equally.
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